South Fayette parks plan includes replacing playground equipment

Consultants hired by South Fayette Township have given residents the first look at what township parks may evolve into over the next decade.

Representatives from Herbert, Rowland & Grubic presented the new master plan for the township’s parks and recreation last week. The plan provides an outline for changes and updates to be made at most of the township’s five parks over the next 10 years.

HRG Assistant Vice President Jim Feath stressed the plan can evolve with changing priorities as well as cost assessments. Implementing the plan will also not be immediate.

“This plan isn’t going to result in any immediate improvements in the parks,” Feath said.

Initial priorities laid out in the plan include replacing and expanding playground equipment in Fairview and Boys Home parks.

Fairview Park gets priority in many of the early projects. Feath and landscape architect Christina Sarson said safety and accessibility projects should be prioritized.

Other projects slated for early phase work at Fairview include a 500 square feet splash pad, three baseball fields, free run dog woods and a large pavilion. The splash pad may have up to 25 surface-level and above-surface water play areas.

At Boys Home, in addition to playground work, other early work can include a walking trail that would connect to Preservation Park is an option.

Sarson also said another option for Boys Home is the addition of more tennis courts that should be contingent upon an agreement with the school district.

The plan also lays out a timeframe for updating and adding soccer, baseball, softball, lacrosse and cricket fields.

Morgan Park was essentially left out of the plan due to uncertainty regarding the future of the neighboring public works facility. Township administration has regarded the public works facility as needing to be replaced. If that entails relocation or expansion has yet to be determined. Additionally, the park is in a floodplain and near industrial facilities.

“In Morgan Park, there are too many variables to plan with accuracy,” Sarson said.

Another impossible item to predict is the overall price tag. While each item includes cost estimates, costs can change over the life of the plan and many of the items are also optional and have variable components.

“That would be a completely imaginary number,” Sarson said when asked if there was an overall price for implementing the master plan.

Commissioners unanimously approved the plan and a grant request for $779,729 for work on Fairview Park trails and sidewalks. Commissioner Rebecca Sray was absent from the meeting.

Paula Willis, South Fayette Parks and Recreation director, said the plan was prepared and revised with input from the community.

She said a strong cross-demographic was surveyed for what they want to see for both the parks and recreation programs.